Clean up and inspiration

The process of clean up continues as you see below:

This is the second half of the second page. As I'm rolling along with this project I've noticed that I'm way outside of my comfort zone, which is good and challenging but also a bit scary. How will the end product look like? Will it be any good?

If you remember, I wrote about inspiration a couple of weeks ago. The question was, when do you do the best work, is it when you're inspired or is it when you're not so? I remember when I was animating a sequence a while back, one day I had this huge inspiration, I worked fast, the papers just flew around my drawing board, later when I did the linetest, let's just say the sequence needed much more work, much, much more! Another time on the same project I really didn't feel the warm wind of inspiration on my back at all, it was just cold and damp. But when I did the linetest, the sequence worked fine! So the question remains, when do you do your best work? Of course there are lots more parameters to take in, but it's an interesting question to ponder!

Speaking of inspiration, these last weeks I've tried to look for it and to obtain it through different ways, looking in books, browsing the internet etc, I've even tricked myself into drawing, and it worked! So as they say, every way is good except the bad! The reason why I tried to find the inspiration, is that I wanted to try to get inspired when I was not. Maybe that's just the way it is, some days your inspired and some days your not. My latest research in this area tells me that if you just begin your work, you will soon get inspired, if not, you can try the multitude of ways to get inspired. Only you know how you can get the fix of inspiration! Boy, I'm starting to sound like a self help book...

Take care!

Two year anniversary!

Time goes by quickly! It's hard to believe that I started this blog two years ago! As you can see I've done some changes.

New title
The old title was kind of pushed out in just a few seconds, I didn't really give it much thought and during my posts and updates, I've noticed that it hasn't been that much animation and or illustrations (depending on how you define illustration of course). When I decided to get a new name I tried something with process and creativity but it didn't really talk to me. The main reason behind this was that I noticed that I quite often write about the process. I decided instead to crank up the egocentricity and just put my name there!

About me
Here I've also put a new text, something like a declaration of what you may find here.

Language
For some time now I've been writing this in English, due to the international visitors, they are not that many but I kind of wanted to include them here as well. A funny thought is that maybe they all are swedes abroad... I've been giving it some thought and I'm going to continue writing it in English, but there might pop up some Swedish here and there, I think...

Projects
The projects are rolling along nicely. I've begun clean-up on my comics project, and I've put thoughts and sentences in a document for my horror project. Oh, and I almost forgot that I've also sent a script to some friends to read and to give feedback on.

Here I would like to share a picture of some sketches where I experimented how I would look in various beards and moustaches:

Last week when I decided to cut my beard I tried the look, no. three from the right on the lower row. It looked real cool, but I think I'm going to save that one for when I'm applying for a job at West Coast Choppers...at least I will look the part, even though I don't have the skill set they require!

Take care!

Yet another project?

Well, I kind of wanted to share this with you but I got so involved in the blue pencil earlier that I forgot it! So what is this?

Well, this is how the very seed of a new project might look like, when I put it on paper. It's a horror story, and the idea is quite clear but what you see here, is all there is. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to just write it or do it all myself. The future will decide!
It's kind of funny, me doing horror, like, I'm the easiest person to scare, a simple "Hello" might sometimes do the trick... honestly! And my horror-drawing-skills are yet to be found...
But I'm going to be careful with this seed and plant it, and nurture it and maybe it will bare fruit someday!

Take care!

Sketches in Blue

Wow, that sounds kind of poetic...

Today I wanted to share with you some sketches of the project. Previously I've been quite hesitant to put early sketches on the blog because I only wanted to show good stuff. Eventually though I've been thinking that it can't really hurt to show them, it's a piece of the process!

Here is the thumbnail for the first page!

As you see here, I've been working really loose and my main goal has been to get the pacing and the composition right, so the reader will be able to follow the story, that has been key in these sketches.

When I was satisfied with the composition I have enlarged the sketch on two sheets of paper, this because it's easier when I'm going to scan them, and its easier in handling the sheets, instead of having a big ass sheet of paper! When publishing it will also get easier (I think) because I can then choose to publish it in half pages or in full pages.
As you can see here I've been working very loose at first, just to get the pacing and the composition right (yet again). When I'm (again) satisfied with it, I've worked more with getting the characters in there.
For this I've used a blue pencil, why you ask? Well, me and my blue pencil don't go that far back, actually! When you open a book about comics or animation, you will soon see beautiful sketches done in either blue or red pencil. When I went to animation school I tried the blue pencil for some sketches, but it kind of went south... I was working on my thesis project, and I was using a blue pencil on some drawings. At that time my sketching was very fast and very... inaccurate, I could end up with lots and lots of lines, and think for yourself having lots of lines in blue, it felt like I'd used a blue crayon! And when I scanned it, it was even worse! So that use of the blue pencil meant more work, so I put that pencil in the pencil jar and there it has been laying around until now... kind of. When I have animated a walk cycle or something like that I've used the blue and red pencil to distinguish the right or left arms and/or legs. Lately I've seen some comics artists using blue pencil and I thought that I should give that a go, and thus far I like it, the lines get kind of loose and you can easily correct them. So maybe I'm a blue pencil guy after all!

Take care!

The cast!

And here they are, the whole cast! Maybe not all of them, but at least the ones that moves the plot forward. The character designs might change a bit when they come into play.

This week I've finished with the pre-production, and I've started drawing it. I'm a sucker for pre-production, I really like that phase of a project, you're energetic by the new idea that holds promises of greatness! And that's because you haven't fouled it up yet!! You start looking for inspiration and plan the project. And you start writing it, and putting words on your idea. Pre-production is kind of foolproof, you can hardly mess it up! So it feels safe, currently I'm out of that safe zone and I've started drawing it, which feels a bit scary, and also fun at the same time. It's alway fun to finish a part of the project and move on to the next.

Yesterday though I had one of those days where I kind of got things moving, but the inspiration wasn't really there, ok, I know, behind all creativity there's 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration! But sometimes it's nice to feel the wind of inspiration on your back, you know! I have my ways of getting the fix of inspiration, but it just didn't work. I will write more on the subject of inspiration later on... I know that some days are just like that, and you just have to get in there and do it.
The all so important question is when do you do your best work, is it when you're inspired or is it when you feel not so inspired, I think I have a theory on that one but I'll share that with you later on...

Take care!

Character design and Inspiration

This week I've finished the character design for my main characters Quentin and Héloise. You can see a quick snapshot of the character sheets below. When I have begun drawing the comic there might be some small changes, but I'll take them as they come. Right now I'm working on the design for the supporting characters.

This week I've also realized that even though I like the current project that I'm working on, I'm already thinking on my next project and planning that. At first I thought that I didn't like the current one, but I do. And then I thought that it might be that the grass is greener on the other side, but I came to the conclusion that: the thought of the next project fuels me with inspiration, force and energy to finish the current project. As an example I can take my last project, the lipsync, when I was working on that I thought on this comics project and could hardly wait to get going, and now when I have, I'm thinking on my next project and planning that one. I guess that's how I work.

Another truth that I discovered this week is that my different ways of expression (animation, comics, icons, violins) gives inspiration and force to one another, and takes time and effort at the same time. Heavy, huh? What I mean is that the different expression or craft gives inspiration to other ways of expression. But at the same time when I'm working on one expression, that one takes time and effort that I could've given another expression. Heavy, indeed!

Take care!